Hook for life-boats and the like.



H. A. ATTFIELD. HOOK FOR LIFE BOATS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION IILED DEC. 26, 1913.

Patented June 23, 1914.

I22 Vania? Harry (/1. flitfield 0? Minesses COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co. WASHINGTON. n. c

HARRY A. ATTFIELD. or

HOOK FOR LIFE-BO Application filed December 26, 1913.

1/ '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, HARRY A. A'r'rrmiin, a citizen of the United States, residing at Berkeley, in the county of Alameda and tit-ate of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Hooks for Life Boats and the like, of which the following is a specification.

In the lowering of life boats from ships in case of a wreck or otherwise, itsometimes happens, especially in rough weather, that difficulty is experienced in releasing the life boat from the hooks by which it is suspended from the davits, and sometimes this difficulty is the cause of the boat being overturned, leading to loss of life.

t is the object of the present invention to provide a hook for suspending life boats from which the boat can be released very quickly when desired. Other occasions will present themselves in which such a quick releasing hook will be found valuable.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a side view of my improved hook; Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same; Fig. 3 is a rear view of the hook, the rear plate being removed; Fig. Al is a front view in its open position.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates a steel or wrought iron hanger, having at the top a rounded portion 2, through which is a round hole 3, of suitable size to permit it to be suspended from a pulley block or the like. The hanger has two parallel sides a and 5, each approximately square in cross section, of which the side 4 depends a suitable depth below the side 5 and is forked and bent inwardly at the bottom, as shown at 6. In the'fork of said inward bent portion is pivoted, as shown at 7, a rib 8 of a knuckle 9, said knuckle having a curved flange 11, adapted to rest, when in its closed position, upon the inner surface of said bent portion 6. The outer end of said knuckle is formed on its outer side with a rightangled recess 12 which is adapted to engage a shoulder 13 on a slide block let having straight parallel sides fitting closely against, and sliding between, the sides 4: and 5 0f the hanger. A spring 16 is compressed between the upper end of the slide block and the top inner side of the hanger, and normally presses said slide block downward. Front and rear plates 17 and 18 are secured to the hanger by bolts 19 passing through said plates and hanger and having nuts 20 Specification of Letters Patent.

ATEN FFTG.

BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.

ATS AND THE LIKE.

Patented June 23, 1914.

Serial No. 808,833.

on their projecting ends. A narrow extension of the bottom of the rear plate 18 l is bent inwardly, or toward the front plate 17, to partly close the space between the plates and beneath the block. It is evident that the knuckle of the hook cannot be withdrawn out of engagement with the shoulder of the slide block unless said slide block is raised against the pressure of the spring. The side 5 of the hanger is made sufficiently short to permit the block to be so raised a sufficient height to permit the knuckle to swing outwardly past the slide block.

To raise the slide block there are secured upon the front plate, on opposite sides of a central vertical slot or recess 21 therein, angle plates 22, and between said angle plates 22 a lever 23 is pivoted by a pivot pin 24, pasing through said angle plates. A short arm 26 of the lever engages the lower edge of the slide block, while a long arm 27 thereof tapers upwardly and extends between two wide portions 28 of said angle plates, and its upper end is apertured to carry a. ring 29 by which the lever can conveniently be turned to raise the slide block to permit the knuckle to swing downward. A cotter pin or key 31 is passed through holes 32 in said wide portions 28 of the flanges and in front of the upper end of the lever and prevents the lever being turned by any object accidentally moved into contact therewith. This safety key can be withdrawn when it is desired to use the hook.

The mode of operation of my improved quickly-releasing hook Will readily be understood from the foregoing description; After the safety key is withdrawn, the up per end of the lever is drawn outward either by a finger applied directly to the ring or by a cord attached thereto, the lower arm of said lever then forcing upward the slide block against the pressure of the spring, until the shoulder 13 of the slide block passes the outer end of the knuckle, whereupon the knuckle 9 immediately swings downward upon the pivot 7 by its own weight and by that of the object suspended thereby.

I claim A quickly-releasing hook comprising a hanger having at one end an apertured portion, parallel sides unequal in length, the longer side being forked and bent inwardly at its outer end, a knuckle pivoted in said end and having a curved flange adapted to rest on the inner surface of said inwardly bent portion, a block slidable between said sides and having a shoulder, the outer end of the knuckle having a recess to engage said shoulder, a spring compressed between the upper end of the slide block and the hanger, front and rear plates secured to said hanger, the front plate having a longitudinal slot, plates projecting from said front plate on opposite sides of said slot, :1

lever pivoted between said projecting plates and having a short arm engaging the outer edge of the slide block, and a long arm eX- tendingbetWeen said plates, and a ring at tached to the outer end of said long arm.

IntBSElIHOIly whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

HARRY A. ATTFIELD. l Vitnesses FRANCIS M. VRIGI-I'r, D. B. RIoHAnDs.

Copies; of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, addressing the "Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. 0. 

